How to stop my dog from barking and scratching when guests visit?

Covering the crate or relocating it to another room may help. Teaching the "no bark" command can help but will take patience and consistency in training. If you know visitors are expected, wear him out with an extended session of play or exercise before their arrival. Praise and reward him when he is quiet and when he stops barking. Ignore any barking and wait it out. You can read more at this link: http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/how_to_stop_barking.html

This behavior in Buster could actually be due to separation anxiety. I would recommend crating him when you are gone. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can also fill a Kong toy with peanut butter and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety.

What you're describing sounds like a reaction to the general excitement level and maybe the volume in the room. Some dogs will actually become aggressive that type of situation (for example, they will bite ONLY when there's a touchdown -- not so fun for the visitors). As far as stopping it, keeping her a quiet separate area during big gatherings is one way, as long as she doesn't bark to be reunited with the group. You can also try feeding her a continuous steam of small treats to help change her emotional reaction to these events. One thing to avoid is any yelling or punishment, since that may push her over the edge from barking to aggression

Poor Vito! In general, we tend to treat this problem by teaching the dog to associate good things with people entering a room - often, very tasty treats :) My first thought is that you may need to use higher value treats if he isn't interested in eating them when you try this - things like chicken, roast beef, or string cheese are often good choices for this type of training. If he still will not take treats in this situation, then this means that he's too worried or anxious to eat - in that case, you will need to find a way to make the situation easier for him (possibly by removing him from the room until the person sits down and gets settled, then bringing him back in), or he may need anti-anxiety medication in the beginning to help. Since it can be difficult to do this on your own, it would be best to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (ccpdt.org).

Get him acclimated to people so it isn't a big deal when you have company. Make him "work" for everything (food, attention, walks, etc.). This can be as simple as having him sit or wait before being fed, taken out or played with. When company arrives, make him wait to greet. Do not allow him to initiate contact. Use a leash to control him if necessary. A head harness such as the Gentle Leader or Halti can provide a means to control and quickly correct negative behavior. Ignore him when he barks at company. If he jumps up, turn away from him. Be consistent and be firm. Do not yell as this will likely get him more riled up.

It sounds like Fluffy is reactive and uncomfortable around people he doesn't know - this is a very common problem. I would recommend asking visitors to call ahead before arriving, so that you can put Fluffy in a separate room or a crate before they arrive. Once they are in and settled, you can bring Fluffy out on a leash and practice rewarding him with tasty treats for being calm. The front door needs to be better managed so that Fluffy cannot run out after people who are walking outside. If household members are not able to remember to close the door reliably, get a baby gate or other barrier to use as a back-up so that there's no way he can run out. Separately, to work on this problem, you can practice standing just inside the door with Fluffy on a leash, and feeding him treats every time someone walks by. Over time, he will learn to look at you for his treat when he sees a person, rather than wanting to chase them and bark. It can be difficult to do this on your own, do I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can ask your vet to refer you to a qualified professional in your area.

Hello, sorry to hear about Murphy. He may be experiencing fear or anxiety or he has learned that barking gets him attention. Here is a couple of tips from a handout explaining why dogs may bark and how to manage them. Hope this helps. Barking is a normal behavior for dogs but can become a serious problem for owners, potentially leading to eviction, legal action or relinquishment of the dog. There are many different normal motivations that will cause dogs to bark, including territorial defense, fear, play, social facilitation and learned barking. Be aware that your dog may have different reasons for barking at different times. Genetics plays a role in barking as well, and some breeds are more predisposed to excessive barking than others. There are some very rare and complex disorders that can lead to barking, including compulsive disorders, vocalization stereotypies and barking secondary to separation anxiety. Why your dog barks - Fear or anxiety o Watch your dog when it is barking to determine if fearful body language is shown. This may include some or all of the following: tail tucked or low and wagging, ears down and back, eyes diverted away from feared object with the white of the eye showing, lips retracted horizontally, lip licking, panting, leaning back and away from the stimulus - Territorial defense o Your dog barks at people or dogs approaching its territory (including your house and possibly your car or the area around your dog when on leash) - Learned barking (“attention-seeking”) o Many dogs bark to get a desired reaction from their owner (attention, food, to get inside or outside the house, etc.); barking will increase if the dog successfully elicits the desired reaction - Social Facilitation o Dogs bark in response to stimulation from other barking dogs o Play barking occurs when your dog is playing (with another dog, person, a toy, etc.) What you can do to stop your dog from barking - Make sure your dog has plenty of physical activity and mental stimulation! - Avoid situations that cause your dog to bark as much as you are able - Teach your dog some attention games so that you can easily interrupt undesired behavior o ”Come”: This helps you get your dog’s attention even in a high-arousal situation o “Target”: Teaching your dog to touch its nose to your hand or an object on command will also allow interruption of undesired behavior and focus your dog’s attention on you - Positively reinforce desired behavior o Praise your dog and give treats when your dog is quiet! o Teach a “Quiet” command Stage situations where your dog will bark; when barking stops reward the quiet behavior and begin to associate it with a “quiet” command If you have difficulty interrupting the barking, use a head halter to close your dog’s mouth and stop the barking - Desensitization and counter-conditioning to the triggers o These techniques allow you to address the underlying stimulus that causes your dog to bark and are especially useful if your dog is fearful o Desensitization: in this technique the inciting stimulus is very slowly introduced in such a way that the dog never reacts; the intensity of the stimulus is increased over time, but never rapidly enough to elicit barking o Counter-conditioning: the goal of this technique is to replace a negative response to a stimulus with a positive response by pairing rewards with the aversive stimulus - Bark collars o The use of bark collars is controversial and can cause stress o Bark collars should never be used in a dog that is anxious or fearful Some things NOT to do - Do not reward your dog for barking o The reward your dog is seeking may be your attention (even if you get mad!), a treat, getting in or out of the house, etc. o Terminate play when your dog barks in order to teach your dog that barking during play is inappropriate - Do not yell – loud noises may likely encourage more barking DO NOT PUNISH YOUR DOG